20 Best Paying Jobs In Public Utilities in 2023

Best paying jobs in public utilities

Working in the public utility sector is a brilliant career path for anyone seeking a high-paying job. There are quite a large number of best paying jobs in the public utility industry.

Whether you want to get into this sector as a utility engineer or a regulator analyst, this career is a good choice for you as it can be financially rewarding, and it offers job security, above-average pay, benefits, and prospects for growth
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In this article, we explore the 20 best paying jobs in public utilities, shedding light on the lucrative paths available to those seeking both financial stability and a rewarding career. Whether you are a recent graduate considering your career options or an experienced professional looking for a change, this comprehensive list aims to showcase the highest-paying roles in this thriving industry.

Why Choose Public Utilities? Is Public Utilities a Good Career Path in 2023?

For anyone who cherishes the idea of giving back or doing something that all or most of the populace will benefit from, a career in public utilities is a good choice.

Not only are you giving back to the people, but you’re also benefiting from it because there are many high-paying jobs in public utilities.

With this, you get to give and earn. You’re earning a living and making life easier for others. Not only does this job bring a sense of satisfaction, but it also gives you a fat paycheck.

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What Are The Different Types Of Public Utilities Jobs?

We can compare the word public utilities to an umbrella that covers different types of works or jobs.

This is because all the jobs head in the same direction, providing fundamental amenities for the general public. Both public and private public utilities institutions and organizations offer these services.

Among the public utility, jobs are natural gas, water sanitation, electrical energy, recycling, waste disposal, communications, public trains and buses, and storage facilities like public warehouses.

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How Many Jobs Are Available In The Public Utilities
Industries?

The number of high paying jobs in public utilities is quite a lot. The industry is open to
many people because there are a lot of sectors in the industry.

Some of them will be talked about in the next subtopic.

20 Best Paying Jobs In Public Utilities In 2022

There are a lot of high paying jobs in public utilities, 20 of them will be discussed in this section. These paying jobs in public utilities are:

1. Water Resource Specialist

Water resource specialists are the people that check the local and regional water sources to prevent contamination and ensure that conservation measures are put in place to make the water usable for people.

They safeguard people’s health by being the watchdog that prevents contamination of the water used by the people.

As a water resource specialist, you must ensure the public knows about water conservation, recycling concerns, and water safety.

Average Salary: $78,595 per year.

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2. Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineer

Nuclear criticality safety engineers conduct research and analyze ways of transporting, managing, and keeping nuclear material to prevent any nuclear disaster.

As a nuclear criticality safety engineer, you’re to detect possible risks and places in nuclear facilities that might violate the rules, devise new ways of transportation, write proposals outlining your ideas and submit your reports to the government for review and consideration.

Average Salary: $101,895 per year.

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3. Nuclear Licensing Engineer

Nuclear licensing engineers are responsible for providing regulatory assistance and licensing for nuclear energy plants; they also verify the equipment and systems of these energy plants.

Average Salary: $116,614 per year.

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4. Utility Manager

Utility managers are responsible for audits to ensure that citizens, and businesses get services at the lowest rate.

As a utility manager, you must ensure the prices of utility services are available to citizens and businesses at a feasible low cost.

Average Salary: $69,640 per year.

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5. Power Plant Engineer

A power plant engineer oversees the day-to-day operation of a power plant. They conduct frequent tests, provide preventive maintenance on the machines, evaluate terminal systems, and work closely with other workers in the plant. A BSc in engineering is required for this position.

Average Salary: $102,646 per year.

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6. Power System Dispatcher

Power system dispatchers ensure energy distribution between producers and users for residential and commercial purposes.

As a power system dispatcher, one’s duty is to keep tabs on the generator systems to guarantee their efficiency and calculate the amount of electricity to be dispensed and used by the consumers daily.

Average Salary: $69,884 per year.

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7. Radiation Effects Engineer

They conduct experiments to test the radiation impact in an environment. They offer theoretical analysis from the results of their experiments.

Average Salary: $119,059 per year

8. Gas Controller

A gas controller must run frequent checks on gas pipelines to ensure that consumers get the right gas.

They collaborate with gas and oil firms to ensure the safety of their products and also stand in line for the safety of the consumers.

Average Salary: $73,915 per year

9. Substation Engineer

They generate designs and frameworks by constructing power substation design plans and working with the substation team and other stakeholders to complete schematics. A BSc degree in electrical engineering is required for this job.

Average Salary: $102,232 per year

10. Pipeline Controller

They monitor and regulate the pipeline systems to prevent leakage and ensure liquid gas or oil flows well in the pipeline.

They organize emergency reactions when needs arise and keep tabs on necessary occurrences in the pipelines.

Average Salary: $73,246 per year

11. Power Transmission Engineer

A power transmission engineer must design energy transmission routes. They are concerned about the infrastructure of the electricity system.

They ensure an adequate and safe amount of electricity gets to the consumers.

Average Salary: $91,277 per year.

12. Power Systems Engineer

A power system engineer must analyze and manage electricity distribution for utility firms or substations, conduct electric metering, or work for wind power companies.

They ensure the efficiency of all aspects of the power system to enhance its efficiency.

Average Salary: $103,525 per year

13. Power Engineer

Power engineers are engaged in monitoring the power of industrial facilities. They are in charge of the industry’s electrical grid, which includes air conditioning, water treatment, lightning, and other power-producing systems. 

Average Salary: $85,150 per year

14. Transmission Engineer

There are two branches of transmission engineers. The first branch works in the television and broadcasting industry.

They ensure the activities of the broadcasting industry go on without a hitch. At the same time, the other branch of transmission engineers works in the utility or power sector.

Average Salary: $108,925 per year.

15. Water Resource Engineer

They manage the building and installation of equipment for the water plants. They oversee all activities in the water plant, including natural sources like springs.

Average Salary: $71,359 per year.

16. Transmission Line Engineer

They draft, design and analyze electricity and telecommunication transmission lines. They use computer-aided design(CAD) to make their designs.

Average Salary: $96,935 per year 

17. Power Distribution Engineer

Among the best paying jobs in public utilities is power distribution engineer. Their main duty is to design and maintain electrical distribution systems.

They manage installation and interact with suppliers, consultants, external contractors, and utility providers.

Average Salary: $87,525 per year

18. Substation Operator

They maintain electrical substations to ensure that consumers safely utilize power. They inspect all equipment in the substation.

A minimum of a year of working experience in a substation is required for this field. Though the majority of substation companies provide on-the-job training for new intakes, another option one has to get a degree from a technical college in power plant technology.

Average Salary: $71,235 per year

19. Journeyman Lineman

They maintain electrical power systems. This is a job that needs a year of working experience.

They improve, build, and maintain overground and underground electrical distribution and transmission systems.

They climb and lift poles frequently, so they are required to be able to lift 50 pounds and be comfortable working at heights of up to 60 feet.

Average Salary: $72,084 per year

20. Radiation Safety Officer

A radiation safety officer must guarantee that all the law standards are followed. They ensure that the employees’ exposure to radioactive materials in an ALARA is as low as feasibly attainable.

Average Salary: $119,044 per year.


The 20 best paying jobs in public utilities have successfully been listed. It is time to consider how one gets into the public utility industry.

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The Benefits of a Career in Public Utilities

There are many benefits a career in the public utility industry has to offer its workers. We list these benefits below:

Assurance Of Job Security

Everyone desires to get into a career where their jobs would be guaranteed to be secured. This significant benefit makes it to the top of all the benefits a career in public utilities offers its employees.

Unlike the other industries, workers in public utilities enjoy the assurance that their jobs are secured. 

This is because in this sector, years after the workers have served the public utility industry, they become entitled to the security of their jobs through the traditional public contest done in this industry.

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The Factor Of Little Or No Requirement For Industry Experience

Public utilities jobs give a huge space to job seekers without any requirement of prior working experience, creating a level playing field for anyone who wants to get a job in this sector.

They employ job seekers with little or no experience in this sector. Only a few sectors in the public utility industry require prior working experience, and this is because their jobs require a level of experience.

Assurance Of Promotion

Everyone always wants to get into a career where they are guaranteed to progress easily. The public utility industry is the sector one can count on for this job progression.

This promotion is often determined by years of service; this system enables workers in the public utility industry to advance in position and salary.

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Assurance Of Benefits And Bonuses

One working in the public utility industry is usually entitled to numerous benefits and bonuses. These benefits are a good pension, paid leave, special bonuses, and awarded leave.

In some cases, public utility workers are often entitled to bonuses based on the length of service of the individual worker; these bonuses are always seen in the workers’ salaries.

In that sense, workers who have served longer are entitled to higher bonus percentages, while their counterparts that served for lesser time get a lower bonus percentage.

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High Wages

It is not an issue to doubt that workers in public utilities are better remunerated, though several factors determine employee wages.

The factors that influence wages are often one’s level of education, the nature of one’s job, and even one’s position. Workers with higher educational degrees get higher salaries.

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How To Get A Job In Public Utilities

It has already been said that most public utility industries don’t require a college degree. So for someone intending to get into this sector without a college degree, to boost your chance of getting your desired public utility job, you can take a course on any related public utility occupation on either Coursera or Udemy or any other online learning platform.

The Skills Required For A Career In Public Utilities

To thrive in a career in public utilities, one has to:

  • Be willing to take up courses and training when the opportunity arises.
  • Be willing to learn how to use technology in the public utility industry.
  • Have good communication skills.
  • Be hardworking.
  • Be honest with your work, as every industry requires honest workers.

What If You Don’t Have A Degree

One without a college degree can still get high-paying public utility jobs. All you need to do is be willing to learn how operations are carried out in the industry and take up courses online to boost your chances.

To do this, you can search for Coursera or Udemy and for courses on public utilities; you’ll find a lot of courses you can enroll for, some might be free, and for others, you might have to pay. Enroll for the course, complete it, and you’ll get a certificate upon completion.

This certificate would put you on a higher pedestal and increase your chances of getting high-paying public utility jobs.

How Much Do Public Utilities Jobs Pay?

The jobs in public utilities are high paying. However, the pay depends on the level one is working in, and with the fact that promotion in this sector is guaranteed, one’s pay is also guaranteed to always be on the rise.

To attain an upgrade, you must be an honest and hardworking worker and dedicate your whole to your job. In a matter of years, one would have climbed up the ladder in the industry.

FAQs On Best Paying Jobs In Public Utilities

How are the jobs in public utilities?

There are high-paying jobs in the public utility industry, the pay in this sector is higher than the regular average pay of other sectors.

What is the importance of public utilities?

Public Utilities are very important because they are the sector that provides the fundamental amenities for everyone in every country and they are also important in the economy of every country.

What is the regulatory body for public utilities?

The public utility commission is the established body that regulates public utilities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the field of public utilities offers many rewarding career opportunities for individuals seeking financial stability and job satisfaction.

The 20 best paying jobs in public utilities highlighted in this article showcase the diverse range of roles available, from engineering and management to technical expertise and research.

References

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